According to Russian President Valdimir Putin’s decree, Ivan Volynkin has been appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia. He will replace Vyacheslav Kovalenko, who served as Russian Ambassador to Armenia since 2009.

Before the appointment Ivan Volynkin worked as Deputy Head of the General Secretariat of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served at the Russian Embassy in Georgia before the suspension of Georgian-Russian ties.

Political scientist Sergey Miniasyan believes Volynkin will continue the policy line of his predecessor. According to him, taking into consideration the fact that Moscow views Yerevan as a strategic partner, Armenia may get actively involved in the Russian-Georgian processes as a mediator.

On many occasions the negotiations between the parries have taken place in Armenia, as both Tbilisi and Moscow trust Armenia, he said.

“Radiolur”

Safarov’s release was to some extent beneficial for Armenia and Artsakh, as it consolidated the conviction that “there should be no concession without security guarantees,” Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute Sergey Minasyan told reporters today.

He does not believe there will be any tangible progress in the process of settlement of the Karabakh issue in the foreseeable future. According to Sergey Minasyan, Safarov’s transfer was meant to win dividends for Aliyev ahead of the forthcoming presidential elections.

Speaking about the CSTO military exercises, the Deputy Director of the Caucasus Institute said “the CSTO drills, also as the fighting efficiency of Armenia and Artsakh have always made Azerbaijan draw serious conclusions, as the latter has not made any step, except for making belligerent statements.”